Ikana: The Fall
by Isaiah McAuthor
Summary: A retelling of the fall of the once verdant and beautiful Ikana Kingdom. Explore the lost story of the kingdom of the damned.
1. Prologue

Hey, , Isaiah McAuthor here. I've had this story in my mind for some time now, and have decided to finally start writing it out. It's my account on what I've always thought was one of the most interesting and overlooked aspects of the zelda series, the fallen kingdom that once occupied Ikana Canyon. This is just the first chapter, and not a whole lot happens, but I hope you enjoy it none the less.

I will respond to EVERY REVIEW I receive at the end of a chapter (starting with the next one), and would love to here what you think! So, without further ado...

Ikana: The Fall

Prologue

Igos looked up from his throne. Whether it was the first time he had done so in decades or centuries, he did not know. The disturbance in his chamber had kicked up a large amount of dust into the air, thick enough that it might have choked him if he still had a throat. His ancient bones creaked as he adjusted to better view the fool who had dared enter his domain.

Standing in the entrance was a paltry young boy, clad in green, and wielding a golden sword in his left hand and a finely polished shield in his right. Igos recognized the shield, it was an heirloom of his kingdom.

_So this is the fool who has mocked fate itself. Ikana has fallen into damnation, and in this darkness, his light is the most grievous of all blasphemes. Let him come. Let me tear the flesh from his bones and enlighten him to inescapable fate of all who walk this cursed land._

To the left and right of Igos stood his most worthy subjects in life. Now they served him once more in death. Each warrior drew his blade and prepared to snuff the life out of the intruder. Igos looked to the child, expecting to see a look of true terror. But the child did not back away from the unholy abominations he and his men had become. He merely looked upon the warriors and rose his shield in anticipation of attack.

Something escaped the king's mouth that he had thought himself no longer capable of, laughter. Mad laughter echoed off the chamber walls, and he realized his servants as well had joined him in mocking the would-be hero.

"Oh insolent one who has brought the unthinkable into a land as dark as Ikana," croaked the king, "My servants have fallen namelessly before the light that guides you."

The boy did not change his stance.

"However," continued the king, "The darkness in which my servants live is, after all, fleeting. You shall see with your own eyes just what kind of thing true darkness really is!"

The king and his servants continued their mad laughter, even as the warriors began to charge the boy. Igos would enjoy watching the battle. It would be the first thing that had brought him joy since...

*

Sun poured over the lush river valley, sparkling in the deep blue waters of the Ikana River. The sky was a soft, calm blue, and the air was warm but not stifling. Children with home-made fishing poles sat with their feet in the water, hoping to catch a delicious salmon as they migrated upstream to their spawning grounds. If paradise on Earth existed, truly it was here in Ikana.

A young man sat under a tree, enjoying a book he had borrowed from his father's collection.

"Prince Igos!" called his attendant in the distance, "Prince Igos. Your father has summoned you." She continued to run towards the young prince. "Prince Igos, really! I search the castle all over for you and I find you here, away from the protection of your father's soldiers!"

The young prince gave a pleasant laugh towards the maiden. "And why should I stay in the castle walls on a glorious day such as this? The air is fresh and the world is calming. You would do well yourself to relax and take in some of this air."

"You can take in all the air you like after your father attends to you. Now we really must be going, Prince Igos, the king is waiting!"

_So much for a peaceful day of study_, thought Igos.

*

Sorry for the brevity of the chapter, hope you enjoyed. I will post review responses in this area starting with the next chapter.


	2. A Prince's Duty

Ikana: The Fall

Chapter 1: A Prince's Duty

A fierce battle raged in the ancient hall of Ikana Castle. Igos had expected his warriors to make short work of the young intruder, but the boy held off his warriors with uncanny skill and determination.

_When this one is dead, I shall make him my newest guard_, mused Igos to himself.

The slimmer warrior ferociously hacked his sword against the boy's shield, moving at a speed unachievable with the burden of flesh. However, the boy was able to withstand each blow, and made his counter attack. With a movement so quick, Igos was unsure he saw it himself, the boy lunged his sword between the bones of his attacker's fore arm.

**CRACK!**

The boy had twisted his sword until the bones snapped, sending skeletal dust into the air and leaving the warrior bellowing in pain. Wasting no time, the boy tackled his opponent to the ground and smashed his ribcage in with his shield. He then took his sword and beheaded the warrior. As the boy stood up, he kicked the head into the distance and turned towards his next target.

The second skeletal warrior was shorter but broader than the first. He charged the boy, howling ferociously. A thunderous clang echoed across the chamber as his blow landed on the ground, the boy having narrowly dodged the mighty attack. He lifted his sword, preparing to a second attack.

Meanwhile the boy reached into his pack and pulled out a small nut and a larger round stone. The warrior only took note that he had foolishly let his guard down. As the warrior began his second charge, the boy jumped back and threw the nut to the ground.

A blinding light filled the chamber, causing the warrior to fall to the ground in mid-charge, dazed. The boy then took his stone and whispered something under his breath. A string attached to the rock began to catch fire. The boy shoved it into the ribcage of the dazed warrior, and then put a good distance between him and the warrior.

_What trickery is this? These are the mightiest warriors in Ikana, and this intruder fends them off with plant and stone? What did he..._

**BOOM**

An expanding fireball erupted in the warrior's chest, accompanied by an unnaturally powerful force. As the blast went outwards, joints separated and bones fragmented. The warrior had been completely obliterated.

The boy now turned towards the king.

_Truly, his skill and style deserve nothing but admiration_, thought the king. Then a laugh once more welled up in his chest._ Unfortunately for him, the dead do not play by the same rules as the living._

The king let loose his laughter, but said nothing to the boy. He merely gestured to the boy to look behind him. The boy turned, and saw the bones of both his vanquished foes coming back together, reforming, and preparing to attack once more...

*

"But father!" demanded Prince Igos, "Our armies are the strongest and most respected in the world already! Why do you ask this of me?"

"Because," said the king of Ikana, "To rule Ikana, one can not be a king alone. The ruler of Ikana is first and foremost a warlord. Our people have not always known the peace and prosperity that they enjoy today. Remember, at one time..."

"Yes, yes, I know!" snapped the prince, "our people once lived in tight contention with many tribes in the Ikana valley. But our ancestors defeated each of them and gave our family dominion over the whole of the canyon. But that is ancient history. There are no enemies left, father!"

"Only a fool would believe there are never any enemies left!" barked the king. "What of the nomadic time worshipers to the west? Rumors whisper they wield arcane powers our sages know next to nothing of. What of the Garo?"

"The Garo?" laughed the prince, "The last tribe our ancestors cast from the valley? They only exist in the tales we tell misbehaving children! 'If you are wicked and do not respect your elders, the Garo will whisk you away to the shadow lands and have you for their breakfast.' Really, father!"

"This," said the king as he gestured forth a servant, "Is no child's tale."

The servant brought forth a brown robe, marked with the ancient insignia of the Garo. Another servant brought forth the twin blades each Garo was said to possess in the stories.

"These were found not ten miles from our own castle," said the king. "Whether these are disgruntled Ikana citizens trying to inspire fear, or the Garo truly do still live and are sending spies into our realm, I know not. I do know that Ikana is not as safe as we would like to believe. That is why you will learn the ways of the soldier, Prince Igos. That is why you will earn your honor before I would even consider passing unto you kingship when I die."

Prince Igos desperately wanted to tell his father he would not let this happen, that he could not bear the life of a soldier. All Igos wanted to do was study. He believed the key to Ikana's future lie in trade instead of warfare. However, he could not disobey this man who was both his father and his king.

"I will do as you ask of me."

*

Hey guys, thanks for reading! I wanted to get this chapter out pretty quickly, as I won't be able to write again for another week. As promised, I will respond to every review I receive. Only one for the first chapter, but I am sure more will come!

SGarrison: Thanks for being my first (and so far only) reviewer! I'm glad I'm not the only one who ever thought that Ikana was a fairly fascinating place in the Zelda Universe.


	3. Light in the Darkness

Isaiah McAuthor here. Got a new chapter of Ikana: The Fall ready for you guys. I would have had it out sooner, but I'm currently in my first week back in college, and have been incredibly busy. I'm going to try and update this story at least once a week until it is finished, but please understand if I fall behind at any point. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, and once more, I proudly present...

Ikana: The Fall

Chapter 2: Light in the Darkness

Igos could not help but admire the young intruder's reckless courage. No matter how many times his warriors fell to the boy's blade only to return to life moments later, the boy never backed down or showed any signs of surrendering. Igos knew the boy's efforts were futile. The darkness of Ikana would engulf the boy's life, all while continuing to strengthen his warriors.

The fighting continued, but neither side could gain the upper hand. The boy was clearly more skilled in the ways of combat, but the undying warriors could not be kept down. Once more, the boy put down his foes, but he needed a moment to rest. Even as the bones of the skeletal warriors began to pull towards each other, the boy grabbed the skulls of both his opponents and threw them as far as he could. He knew this would not stop them, but it would at least give him a moment to catch his breath.

The skulls vaulted across the hall until they collided against the surface of the wall with a soft _Thud_. The boy immediately looked to where the skulls had impacted. Bone thrown against a stone wall would have made a much louder and sharper noise. Dust flew from the impact site and the boy realized the skulls had not slammed against the wall, but rather a curtain.

Wasting no time, the boy drew his bow. Igos pondered the boy's foolishness. _Arrows kill their targets by puncturing arteries and vital organs. My warriors and I possess neither. It is a shame that one so skilled in swordsmanship should be so foolish in..._

The boy muttered something under his breath and the arrow he had strung became engulfed in fire.

_One so young who knows the arts of sorcery. This is no mere intruder. Who exactly is this boy?_

The arrow released with a loud _twang_ and soared across the chamber and into the curtain. The flames from the arrow quickly spread and engulfed the entire curtain. As the ancient fabric disintegrated, light flooded into the chamber from the long forgotten outside world.

_Damn this child_, raged Igos in his head. _This chamber is the tomb of both my kingdom and its king. Light here is blaspheme. Damn the light... Damn the light..._

*

Prince Igos cursed the darkness that blanketed the Ikana countryside. The only illumination that lit the night sky came from a nearby village that was engulfed in flames. Igos and his men had arrived too late.

The survivors told Igos the attack had come without warning. The operator of the gate doors had been found with his throat slit just outside of his post. Soldier rushed to find the assassin, but they were too late. The gate doors fell from their hinges and onto the ground. The soldiers found him, but the assassin merely laughed and pulled something out of his robe and screamed, "Death to Ikana! May you find no peace in this life or the next!" The assassin looked at the object and said in a solemn and dignified tone, "To die without leaving a corpse, that is the way of the Garo." The object fell to the ground and engulfed the assassin in flames.

But he had carried out his mission. Dozens of shadowy warriors emerged from the nearby forest and stormed into the village. The Ikana clamored to defend themselves, but to no avail.

It was a massacre.

The survivors of the battle told the prince that the attackers had fled back into the nearby woods after the battle.

The king had been right, and Igos cursed himself for dismissing his father's concerns. The Garo were very real and had returned once again to Ikana. And now it was his duty, both as the future king and as a warrior of Ikana, to track down and destroy the murderers.

"Prince Igos!" shouted a soldier, breaking the silence of the hunt, "Look ahead, there is one of those wretched snakes now!"

"Be ready, men!" roared Igos, "Cavalry, we will give chase to the Garo dog, archers and infantry, watch our backs and be ready to join fighting at a moment's notice."

Igos and his mounted warriors rode ahead of the other soldiers in pursuit of the Garo. These were the fastest horses in the valley, but Igos wished they were just a little more swift. The woods were not comfortable terrain for a horse to run in, and the Garo moved with unnatural speed. The darkness was nearly making the Garo impossible to follow. Only the occasional glint of its swords allowed Igos to stay on the right path. However, they would never catch the Garo this way. In desperation, Igos drew his bow and fired where he thought he saw a sword shimmer. A loud groan confirmed that it had hit its target.

Igos and his men quickly descended upon the wounded Garo. The Garo tried to pull an explosive from his robe, but Igos caught his hand and seized the explosive before the Garo could act.

A warrior surveyed the surrounding area and informed the prince that there were no other Garo in the area, and that this one was probably a scout. Igos had his men hold down the Garo while he examined the explosive. Not wanting to accidentally maim himself, he threw the explosive into a nearby clearing, where it combusted. The men dragged the Garo back to their camp, where Igos began the interrogation of his captive.

"There are many legends of the Garo in my land," said Igos, "but none tell of their ability to summon flames without fuel or ignition. Now I have questions, and if you want to hold onto a few more hours of life, you will answer them."

The Garo said nothing.

"I said you will answer me!" Igos ripped the hood off of the Garo, revealing a pale young man with sunken eyes and cracked lips. "Why have you returned to Ikana? Who is your Master? Answer me!"

The pale man's lips cracked more as the formed into a wicked grin. "Knowledge is only of value to those who are alive to make use of it. I will give answers to you, prince of the damned, for the master has told me of this land's destiny, but only if you agree to my one condition."

Igos eyed his captive cautiously. "And what one condition might that be?"

The man gestured towards the campfire. "You will throw me into the flames when we are done. To leave behind a corpse is shameful. Grant me this mercy, and I will reveal to you what I know."

Prince Igos looked back and forth between his men and the captive. "I will grant you your request. But for now, you will answer me. Now, what are you?"

"I am a warrior of the Garo, and your enemy. My kin have lived as wanderers ever since your ancestors cast us from the river valley. Now we have returned. Consider that fiery village a warning of things to come."

"And an invasion, is that what you're planning? Are your people going to murder countless innocents to extract a petty revenge? Or do you seek to reclaim my kingdom as your own?"

Mad laughter erupted from the pale man. "You are destined to rule this land, Igos du Ikana! You will rule this land for hundreds of years. But in your reign you will find no happiness! Your land will wither, your people will flee or die, and your armies will be defeated from within. Ikana will not be defeated by the Garo, or any invader. Ikana will destroy itself."

Igos punched the Garo across the face, but the Garo continued to laugh.

"Monster! What is it your master is planning. Where does this false prophet draw his lies from?"

The Garo kept his grin and said, "The Garo follow a new master, one who has promised us untold power and prosperity. We have no interest in your doomed lands. As for where he draws his prophecy from, it is written upon the walls of the Stone Tower itself."

Rage came over Igos as he grabbed the Garo by his robe and lifted him off of his feet. "Now it is time for my end of our deal," said Igos.

He threw the Garo into the flames of the campfire. The Garo did not struggle or try to escape the fire. He merely folded his arms over his chest and quietly said, "To die without leaving a corpse, that is the way of the Garo." The flames then quickly consumed the body.

Igos turned to look towards the mesas that loomed over the river valley. The tallest of them was crowned by an ancient structure. The massive edifice had always been visible to all of Ikana, but rarely did anyone dare to speak of it. There are many evils in this world, but only one place in the world was said to house them all. It was an indestructible shrine of blasphemes.

It was the Stone Tower.

*

Author's notes

I would like to make a quick comment on something that could be seen as a slight continuity error thus far in the story. In the first chapter, Link destroys one of the skeletal warriors with a bomb, which surprised Igos because he didn't know that it would cause the explosion. In this chapter, the Garo carry explosives to destroy their bodies in their ceremonial hara-kiri. However, I believe that the bombs carried by the Garo were not quite the same in appearance or affect as the modern Hylian (and Terminian) bombs, as the more modern bombs are constructed in shops in both games (refined from bomb plants in OoT), and implied to require more of an understanding of engineering than the ancient Garo likely possessed. Also, the more modern bombs seem to be much more powerful. I believe the explosives carried by the Garo were more reliant on magical means than scientific ones. True bombs were likely only carried by Garo Masters (as seen in Majora's Mask in any of the Garo Master battles).

Review Responses

Fryas14: I'm planning to show a bit of transition in Igos himself that reflects the fall of his country. This chapter saw him take on more of a angry and violent personality due to the attack on an Ikana village, both of which mark the beginning of worse things to come. Also, the question mark at the end of the prologue was indeed a typo. It should be fixed by the time you read this. Thanks!

SGarrison: Hope I brought to light some of the information on the Garo you were hoping for. However, remember what Igos said in Majora's Mask upon his defeat. Ikana did indeed destroy itself, although it may have been given a few nudges along the way.

Rampaging-poet: I've always thought Ikana was a very intriguing place in the Zelda universe, particularly the stone tower. The present/Link segments will probably grow shorter as the story progresses, since I need to adhere to what is in the game, and certain elements of the fight will have to correspond with things from the past (The Elegy of Emptiness will have a connection to Sharp and Flat, the composer brothers, and other things of the like).


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